The Full-Length Dexter: New Blood Trailer Ramps Up The Creepiness
Showtime's "Dexter" — the series about the serial killer who tries to be a family man — was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the "antihero era" of prestige TV in the early 2000s. But the "Dexter" series finale was such a letdown to fans that it tarnished the show's overall reputation — and even star Michael C. Hall agrees with some of the criticism. Now, "Dexter" has a shot at redemption: Showtime's upcoming revival series, "Dexter: New Blood." And based on the first full-length trailer, it looks like fans should be pretty happy.
When "Dexter" ended, the well-meaning murderer had just abandoned his life in Miami after finally realizing how much his actions hurt everyone around him and started a new life as a lumberjack in the Pacific Northwest. "Dexter: New Blood" picks up the story ten years later. Not only does the new trailer shed some light on what the ex-blood spatter analyst has been up to, but it also appears to bring back the tense and unsettling atmosphere the show is known for.
Dexter: The New Blood asks the big question: can Dexter actually change
The trailer begins by showing Dexter's new life in the town of Iron Lake. He's living under a new name, James "Jim" Lindsay, and he's in a relationship with the local police chief. Additionally, he works at a hardware store. But Dexter is still the old Dexter, too. As he says via his signature narration, he's a wolf among sheep.
Sure enough, a problem arises. A serial killer has been preying on local children, and Dexter's old impulses are awakened. As he sharpens his butcher knife to prepare for the hunt, we get a glimpse of his deceased sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter). She dies in the final season of the show's first run, and now she appears to Dexter in the form of a vision. As their father did before her, Debra tries to warn Dexter against indulging his worst impulses.
Several quick shots follow, showing Dexter on the hunt. "It's a scary world out there. Monsters walk among us," Dexter narrates. "I might be a monster, but I'm an evolving monster." The trailer ends with one more surprise. Dexter gets a visit from a teenager who knows his true identity. It turns out to be Harrison, the son he had with Rita.
There's a lot packed into the nearly three-minute trailer — and a lot riding on the revival. Luckily, we won't have to wait too long to see if "Dexter: New Blood" redeems the previous series finale since it premieres on Showtime on November 7.